What is podcasting?

Podcasting is a form of media distribution for broadcasting audio and video content (known as Podcasts) on the Internet. Originally developed and used by computer enthusiasts, the popularity of podcasting has become so widespread that major television networks like ABC, The Discovery Channel, and ESPN now create content specifically for podcasting. However, the relative ease of producing podcasts, and the low costs of distribution makes this form of broadcasting available to both home and small businesses computer users alike. Podcasting allow anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to provide media content on the same playing field as multimillion-dollar media conglomerates! Podcasts are able to target specialized and small niche audiences, which allows for a tremendous variety of content. A key feature of podcasting is that the distribution method is based on a subscription model. Podcast producers publish periodical shows that viewers/listeners can subscribe to through content providers or websites. As new shows are produced, these podcasts are automatically sent out to all subscribers, making distribution easy for both the content generator and the consumer.

How do you subscribe to a podcast?

Podcasts are typically subscription based content, meaning that listeners subscribe to audio or video shows through content providers such as the iTunes Store or Podcast Alley, or by subscribing directly from content provider websites. The technology used for subscribing to a podcast is very similar to that used to gather RSS Feeds (Read about this in our RSS FAQ). Podcatcher program such as iTunes, iPodder, or iPodderX are also known as aggregators; they go outand looks at the podcasts (RSS feeds/ .xml files) you have subscribed to.  If there is something new it then goes to the location given in the RSS feed and downloads this new MP3 file (Podcast).  After it is done downloading the file it automatically transfers the MP3 file to your podcatcher library.

How do you listen to a podcast?

Podcasts file that are downloaded toyour podcatcher library can be directly listened to on your computer by your podcatcher software such as iTunes. These files can also be transferred to a portable MP3 player for listening at your leisure.  Most podcasts can be played on any of the many available MP3 players – not just an Apple iPod)

How do you create a podcast?

Creating a podcast is covered more in depth in the Podcast Tutorial.